A - Bright red-orange color. Very hazy beer with white head and strong lacing.

S - Definitely hop forward aroma with citrus hops mixing with tropical and grassy tones. Some caramel and malt are second. Maybe some light alcohol character letting you know that this beer is almost 9% ABV.

T - Great mash-up of hops and malts. It has tons of flavor that coats the palate and is full of aromatics from the caramel, the malt, and the hops. The fruitiness and citrus of the hops is my first impression but with the "red" color there is plenty of caramalt to make this more than an IPA. The ale yeast also provides a slight fruitiness and helps the hops give this full flavored beer a more well rounded profile.

M - Medium to full mouth-feel. The carbonation was moderate. It finishes with quite a bit of body and is not one I could drink more than a couple before it's lights out.

Overall, a great beer that is a nice mixture of a lot of flavors that I love separately in one beer. Awesome hoppy aroma, delicious flavor, great feel, appearance, and really get this beer going for gold. Though it isn't the very best beer I've ever had; I would recommend trying this if you can even thought it is on the pricey side.

Taste: Opens with a surge of powerful hops, soon followed by a sturdy caramel malt background, which is not quite the equal of the hops. Mild tropical fruit notes appear throughout, always fading before the strong hop presence. Alcohol is also a notable presence, with spicy and warming notes contributing to the taste. The finish is pleasantly drawn out, with a note of brown sugar to compliment the hops and alcohol.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, very pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: A very well-crafted, over-the-top example of the style. It seems appropriate for cold weather.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice. (1,006 characters)

Canned 2/20/14 from Brevard :Pours an amber-orange, with a very nice amount of foamy head. The surface head sustains, and the edges are fairly thick with bubbles, leading to some nice lacing. The nose is clay, earthy base with some fruitiness thrown in (mango, papaya) with a honey or caramel sweetness.

The taste starts right up front with a pine bitterness on top of a caramel, tropical fruit sweetness. I expected more malt up front, but am happy for hop-forward nature (even with an older can). The end taste, especially as the beer warms a bit, is a bit of candy-like sweetness. Even though the hops are the star of the show, I think the beer is actually pretty well balanced.

Had this in the past, but did not rate or review at the time. Recalled enjoying it, but have not grabbed any for a while. Will have to correct that in the future, and especially look to edit my review with a fresher can. (912 characters)

This beer was less hoppy than I would have imagined. Maybe I was expecting more of an IPA style of beer, but this one had much more sweet maltiness than I would have preferred. The hops are there but they are not all that overwhelming. The color was a nice amber with some brown notes mixed in. Auburn perhaps? I thought this was an above average beer but maybe not worth what I paid for this. (393 characters)

Appearance: Beautiful dark reddish/rust color with a small head that quickly dissipated to about 1/4". A fine lacing remains. In fact, the original head lacing is still intact at the top of the pint. The other lacing is thick and downward as I sipped.

Smell: Hops abound with citrus notes really upfront.

Taste: Full hops on the front end with grapefruit being the dominant flavor. It then mellows to citrus, almost apricot-like. I mean, this is an IPA after all. What really makes this beer great is the malt balance. After the swallow, you feel the hops slip away, replaced by a really nice malt touch on the palate. Again, this is an IPA so the hops are the big flavor, but Oskar Blues has found a nice balance here. As someone that is not a big fan of "hop bombs", this is the perfect IPA for me.

Overall: Outstanding. With an 8.7% ABV, this beer is no slouch. I wouldn't take this to the beach or tailgating, but for an afternoon/evening on the deck (out of the sun), this is perfect. I'll be back for more. (1,156 characters)

Fantastic beer. Pours an amber red with a thick head that lingers. The smell was very subtle but I got bit of sweetness and some citrus. The taste is great with notes of orange peel and lemon as well as caramel from the malt, and a bit of grapefruit pine from the hops. Complex yet with a style behind it. Absolutely would I recommend. (335 characters)

A 3.5) Lovely color, like clover honey. Poured semi rough received a massive tan head about 4 fingers that lingers for quite a while. Lacing sticks to the glass with determination even 2/3 of the way through the glass it still sits where I haven't taken a sip from.

S 3.5) Pine very much pine. Slight citrus notes, grapefruit mostly with a touch of oranges. And slightly burnt sugar, not overwhelming caramel but enough that you think sweet.

T 4.25) As the smell suggests, pine very much so with caramel overtones and faint citrus on the finish. Malts also play a good role in this beer, while not so evident in the nose wood and bread are very evident and do well to balance out the pine flavor.Bitterness also comes in on the finish not so overwhelming that the palate hurts but there, doesn't last long though, only takes a moment after the sip for you to be ready for the next, and the next, and the next.

M 4.25) On the low side of thick, not too much carbonation, slides down the throat like liquid corduroy, like velvet with a bit of added texture. Also sticky, not quite so much as Gubna, but enough that the feel and flavor linger in you mouth for quite some time making this an easy beer to enjoy over a stretch of time.

O 4.00) Very tasty beer. Usually I prefer more overwhelming grapefruit and tropical fruit flavors but for the lack of those it's still great. I'm not a hop know it all but at a guess I think simcoe or amarilla very piney as stated (I'm going to look this up when I'm done and feel like an idiot if I'm wrong:)). Also as stated the taste and feel linger for a good long while making this something that you can take your time with, and with a full pint can you almost have to. (1,752 characters)

I love this beer! When I see it on draft, I order it first. I usually only have one, as I like to mix it up when I drink beer. Besides, it is strong and gets me started out right! A big tasting beer, with great amounts of hops and the perfect amount of malt, it excites the taste buds! I like to pair it with any number of fried goods. Boom (340 characters)

Bright orange color with quickly dissipating off white head. Some carbonation.Definite grapefruit smell, Very strong citrus.smell. Inviting.Strong grapefruit and malt sweetness at the start and hops come in at the very end-very mildly.Mouthfeel is medium.Overall a great brew. An outstanding IPA style without the heavy, sharp hop ending. Definitely a repeat, especially chilled on a hot summer day. (403 characters)

Pours from the 16oz. pint can a cloudy, murky, semi-opaque red-amber. Massive head of off-white bubbles. Beautiful lace, too.

Nose is heavy on the citrus hops, with plenty of toasty grains.

Taste is sticky malts and smooth but acidic citrus hops, with a touch of pine and some astringent qualities. Nonetheless, this is very very drinkable and well-balanced. Never much noticed the relatively heavy ABV! Good showing from the pretty well impeccable Oskar Blues. (464 characters)

M: Very silky and smooth in the mouth with just a hint of resin. The body is on the heavier side of medium; in fact, it feels a bit lighter than it really is meaning that this beer can sneak up on you if you drink it too quickly. Alcohol presence is mildly prickly, but far from distracting. This ale is incredibly easy to drink for the style.

O: A great double IPA. It is smooth enough to drink at a steady pace and has enough flavor to really give the reviewer the impetus to savor it with care. I think what I like most about this beer is that, unlike so many big, hoppy ales these days, there is both malt and hop character. I could see this one being perfect for someone who really wants an IPA or DIPA, but wants something with some balance and malt heft. Highly recommended for fans of the style. (1,297 characters)

A- A very long lasting 2 fingers of head..with a beautiful blood red color.. unable to see through the glass..

S- the aroma is the weak point of this craft brew.. very malty and bready.. very little hop aroma

T- very smooth.. well balanced hop and malt ratio.. wish it was alittle hoppier.. but for an imperial red ale.. its a perfect balance

M- goes down very smooth for nearly a 9% brew.. watch out with this one.. it will sneak up on you.. very enjoyable

O- its been a while since i have had this and as im drinking it im wondering why i would skip out on this beer.. this is something that will remain in my fridge for a very very long time.. i recommend this to hop heads and people who like red ales.. Very well done OSKAR BLUES (807 characters)